Involved

Involved has developed a mobile application that enables elected officials to gather real-time feedback from their constituents.

The company’s platform enables government officials to engage in “micro-polling,” a process of conducting small surveys and polls. Through its platform, Involved increases civic engagement by making communication direct, private, and instantaneous.

Involved is targeting the $3 billion U.S. survey research industry. Last month, SurveyMonkey, an online survey software company, went public on the NASDAQ.

In addition to the survey industry, Involved is joining what CNBC noted is an “Emerging industry of political start-ups riding the wave of civic engagement.” This includes mobile applications for political areas such as activism, data collection, and advertising.

“I think you’re seeing the marketplace explode,” said Mark Penn, who runs a private equity fund in partnership with former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “I always used to say this is a country that spends more money marketing a hamburger than we do for our entire political race. Today, we spend more money on politics than a hamburger.”

Recently, political-centric start-ups have caught the attention of professional investors. For example, former Facebook President Sean Parker was part of a $9.5 million investment into Brigade, a mobile app designed to simplify the voting process.

Involved’s goal is to be what it calls the “Community engagement tool for the everyday citizen.” Here’s how its platform works:

Users receive a question, survey, or poll on their phone from a government representative. This can be via a text message, email, or through Involved’s mobile app.

Users share their opinions and the representative is informed of the responses. From there, representatives can share the data and provide specific feedback to their constituents.

Involved is free for users, while elected officials can use a free version of the app, or pay for premium features. In addition, the company generates revenue from selling the data it collects to third parties.

To start, Involved is targeting the 181 million U.S. registered voters, including the 50 million Americans who have contacted their elected officials within the last few years.

The idea for Involved originated in the Fall of 2016. The following spring, the company worked with key leaders in the Massachusetts State House to participate in an alpha test of its platform with approximately 100 constituents.

In June 2017, Involved enrolled in the Boston University Summer Accelerator program. And two months later, the company launched its mobile app.

In September 2017, Involved signed three municipalities in Massachusetts, and in October, the first live poll was posted by Massachusetts State Representative Liz Malia.

Moving forward, Involved plans to become what it calls a “Virtual office for elected officials.”

The company will implement artificial intelligence technology to provide direct messaging capability. In addition, the platform will provide elected officials with a constituent relationship management system, enabling them to better interact with citizens.

Team Background

John Knollmeyer - Co-Founder & CTO

John is a co-founder and part-time software developer for Involved.

In addition to his duties with Involved, he works as a software development engineer for Amazon.

He previously served as a student partner for Microsoft, where he hosted workshops and information sessions on the campus of Boston University to help students learn about Microsoft’s technology.

John earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Boston University.

Jacob Dansey - Co-Founder & CEO

Prior to starting Involved, Jacob served as a computer engineer intern with BIT Systems, a company developing sensors for the Department of Defense.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Boston University.

John Howard - Chief Marketing Officer

John brings more than 18 years of marketing and business development experience to Involved.

Throughout his career, he has developed and launched marketing campaigns for notable brands including AT&T, Reebok, Verizon, Delta, and Samsung.

For the past five years, he has run Abettor, a marketing consultancy company that develops growth strategies for early-stage companies.

He formerly served as Senior Director of Mobile and Interactive Services for Lodgenet, a media company focused on connectivity solutions. While there, he developed an award-winning mobile app.

John previously led business development and strategic partnerships for Dada Entertainment, a joint venture between Dada and Sony Music. In addition, he previously served as Vice President of Marketing for Upoc, a mobile messaging company that was acquired by Dada.

Caleb McDermott - Co-Founder & Marketing Director

Before starting Involved, Caleb served as Marketing Director for 1KG Brand, a brand consulting company.

He previously founded The Colleen Foundation, an organization dedicated to marketing and hosting philanthropic events in the Boston area to benefit Dana Farber Cancer Hospital.

He formerly served as a market strategy intern for ‘stache media, an online marketing agency focused on the music industry.

Caleb earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Boston University.

Co-Investors